It’s late at night, a little after the stroke of midnight when I make the call to Kemper while lying in bed in a pair of jeans and a plaid button-down—my signature look. He answers on the second ring.

“Don’t try and fight me on this,” I start the conversation with authority.

“You know I’d never fight you about anything.”

“I’m going to pick you up at that gas station two streets over from your hotel.”

“Wait,” he stutters through the phone. “I thought you went home.”

“As far as anyone’s concerned. I did.” I spin my feet off the edge of the bed. “I’ll pick you up in ten minutes.”

“What about Coach?”

“Trust me when I say he’s not paying attention.”

“What if he catches me?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to fight me on this?”

“Right. I’m on my way.”

Parked under the shadow of a towering tree hanging over the run-down gas station, I await Kemper. My eyes scan the street ahead, the direction from which he should arrive, but with the exception of a passing car here and there, nothing catches my eye.

Finally, I spot him jogging across the street, his head craning both ways to check for traffic after he’s already crossed into the intersection. That’s the boy I’ve chosen to link myself to. For better or worse, I’m shackled to him, chained at the heart. He tears me one direction, while the other man shackled to my soul tears me in the other.

Once he’s crossed the street and steps foot on the concrete, I flick the headlights at him. He looks around nervously before fast approaching my car and jumping into the passenger seat.

His hair is slicked to the side like a proper gentlemen and he wears an ironed blue dress shirt over dark, well-fitting jeans. Sharp boots cut against the bottom hem of jeans, and it thrills me he saw it fitting to dress up for our date.

“My heart is pounding,” he says as he slams the door shut. “I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack.

“Don’t be a puss.” I turn the ignition to start the car then peel my eyes over at him. He’s sweating and shaking. “Seriously, this makes you nervous yet you wanted to bend me over my desk at school?”

“Touche.” He points to the road ahead. “Where we going, Teach?”

“Somewhere where you can chill the hell out.”

Kemper and I stand before a carnival, the moon shining bright, painting the scene in an eerie light. Tall rides bleed against the night sky, with soft white light reflecting upon metal cages.

We parked the car three blocks away on a tree-lined street separating the small town of Old Town from the highway that eventually connects back to Ridgefield.

He holds my hand, his fingers interlaced with mine as we both look past a chain-link fence that surrounds the entire property of the fairgrounds, with only a small break for an entrance. We could have snuck in the front, but we decided it was too risky. We didn’t think about how we were going to get over the fence.

“I’ll go first,” he exclaims and breaks away from me. He grips onto the fence and kicks his foot against the bottom. He hoisters himself up and twists his head over his shoulder. “Are you coming?”

I nod and join him at the fence. I take a nervous glance around me before reaching as high as I can, and inserting my fingers through a small opening. It’s not too difficult to climb, and we make it to the top with relative ease, but when I kick my first foot over the top, I lose my balance and fail backward, landing on my back.

“Are you all right?” Kemper questions from above me as maneuvers over the top of the fence. He lands on his feet beside me.

“I’m alive.”

He reaches for my hand and assists in pulling me to my feet. I arch forward and stretch out. “You’re quite the acrobat.”

“Shut up,” I command and release my hand from his. “Do you want some cotton candy?”

“Uhh.” He takes a quick look around then narrows his eyes on me. “I don’t think they’re selling.”

“Follow me.” I roll my eyes and march toward the sweet concoction car. There’s a lock on the door, but it’s not in use. I whip out my phone and use the light to find what I’m looking for once I’m inside. There’s a row of stuffed cotton candy bags hanging from a tight line. I snatch a bag and jump out of the car.

“You know this is stealing right,” he points out as I shut the door, and do the owner a favor by clicking the lock over the hinge. “Incredibly immoral.”

“That’s rich,” I say under my breath and turn to him. “Coming from the guy banging a married woman.”

“I don’t think that’s how this works.”

“Then enlighten me.”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “I think everything that’s considered wrong in this world sits on an always-revolving axis. Nothing is stagnant.”

“You know,” I say as I twist the tie off the bag, “sometimes, you come off deeply intelligent.”

“Can I continue?”

“Sure thing, Nobody.” I smile before pushing a cloud of blue cotton into my mouth. It dissipates against my tongue, and I let out a soft moan that rivals the verbalization I throw out when being stuffed with a cock.

“Stealing is wrong. Cheating is wrong. Killing is wrong, but they’re all different levels of wrong.”

“I see your point,” I point out and tease his lips with blue cotton. He opens wide and I stuff the candy in his mouth. “I just don’t think we can rightfully judge anything. Not after what we’ve done.”

“But where is the line?” He rips the bag out of my hand and holds it behind his back.

“Hey,” I grumble. “That’s mine. You’re lucky I was sharing it with you.”

“Why are you upset?”

“Because you just stole my shit.”

“I rest my case.” He steals a handful of blue clouds, leaving a tiny piece for me, and passes the bag back to me.

“So, you’re going to educate me, huh?” I laugh and toss the bag into the trash. “Is there anything else you would like to teach me?” I purse my lips and place one hand on his chest and dart my tongue against the candy, and then take the rest in my mouth. When I raise my eyes to look at him, he meets me halfway and chews against my lip, cleaning the candy from my flesh, and then tasting my tongue the way I taste his; blue raspberry passion.

I pull away from his kiss and take his hand. “Come on.”

“Where are we going now?”

“Follow me into the wasteland, and you’ll soon find out.”